Cost of brakes

I own a 1999 black cabrio that recently went in for a serpentine belt change. I was recently quoted $450 for a brake job. Does that sound a bit high? They said they have to change the pads and rotors, don't they usually only have to change the pads????

That sounds high, is that through VW using VW parts? If the rotors are worn too much they may have to replace them also, usually about every 2nd or 3rd brake job.

I assume they are using OEM parts. They explained they have to change both the pads and rotors?????? They also increased the price of their oil change to $50. I haven't had time to research this otherwise I would do it myself. I'm used to Japanese cars (Honda, Nissan) and I do the oil changes and pads for those but I heard it's a little different for VW's.

VW's aren't too different, where do you live? An oil change here in the Southeast costs around $25-$30 depending on the quality of the parts. Late model VW rotors are not noted for their ability to be machined, often replacement is necessary.

I live in DC..

That explains the price difference. Dealers (and shops in general) up there charge twice the labor rate as here. My sister's Vanagon died in the Philadelphia area & they charged $80/hour at WV, the labor rate here was $40 at the time.